Game, Set and Match 8

This has been the first raid tier where I've been even vaguely ready to clear on release day. I might have been levelled up for raid releases in EW and ShB but I was never geared up, up-to-date on the required quests and interested.

Hence, Arcadion's second tier has been my first foray into patch day raiding.

I just queued up for M5 and then M6 and M7 as I cleared each raid and unlocked the next. No pre-made parties here, I was fully prepared to die like an idiot, surrounded by other idiots.

But, aside from wipes as we learned, the parties I wound up with did in fact, learn. I cleared M5 with quite a few deaths to the spotlight + floor zones of disco incineration combo. M6 was relatively easy, same as M2, for me. I think I died once while I figured out the bombs/flying bombs mechanic?

M7 - absolute shit show. I rezzed our healers so many times but they rezzed me too. We wiped several times, and I have no idea how many times I floor tanked over all. I still don't know how to tell where the Abombinator is going to Glower or which half of the arena he's about to smash, or even how to tell the difference between the run-in swipe vs the run-away swipe. I think by next week when I re-run for gearing purposes, I should be able to read some early guides to get a better idea of what the hell the indicators are for this one.

M8, well, we wiped a few times and then half the party dropped out because it was getting late. I came back to try again the day after and we cleared with two wipes to the DPS check and one other death on my part. I figured out the half-arena cleave sequence, the death rays and earth spike combo, even the annoying phantom wolves with their beams of destruction. It was tense, I could not blink or I'd eat three vuln stacks at once and die on the spot, but I totally enjoyed the thrill of the frantic race to kill the boss before he could AoE us into the dirt.

Also, can I just say, that man's voice. Oof. The first voice line and that was it. Hands down my new favourite raid just to hear him speak.

I even managed to win the facewear item from Match 8, on my first clear! I am a very happy raider. I'm actually looking forward to re-clearing all the normal raids next week for gear and to work towards the x7 M8-drop weapon tokens needed for the i740 rapier.

I always thought raiding would be beyond me, and Savage with its precise rotations and potions etc. is almost certainly not for me, but I think I'll be able to do more normal raiding in future. It's very fun going in blind like that, such a great challenge to figure it all out on the fly! I now can't wait for M9-12, I want to see how the story ends but also I want to experience more of these fantastic battles. Bring on the Heavyweight Championship!

Now to grind out the 500 Tomestones of Mathematics in prep for that raid-token weapon, and run plenty of Jeuno to finally upgrade more of my i720 gear >.>